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Could MSU have a First Round NFL Draft Pick?

By Jared Aldridge

Nov 1, 2014; Starkville, MS, USA; Mississippi State Bulldogs defensive lineman Chris Jones (96) celebrates with the fans during the game against the Arkansas Razorbacks at Davis Wade Stadium. The Bulldogs defeat the Razorbacks 17-10. Mandatory Credit: Marvin Gentry-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 1, 2014; Starkville, MS, USA; Mississippi State Bulldogs defensive lineman Chris Jones (96) celebrates with the fans during the game against the Arkansas Razorbacks at Davis Wade Stadium. The Bulldogs defeat the Razorbacks 17-10. Mandatory Credit: Marvin Gentry-USA TODAY Sports /
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Mississippi State football has several NFL draft hopefuls, but could a Bulldog go in the first round?

With less than a week until the 2016 NFL Draft, teams are putting the final touches on their big boards. A handful of former Bulldogs hope to hear their name called at some point in the three day marathon that is the draft process. For most of these players it could be a long wait, but at least two have the potential to get the call during Thursday’s first round.

First let’s take a look at the possible draftees. Six Dawgs were invited to the draft combine in February:

  1. OLB Beniquez Brown
  2. CB Will Redmond
  3. CB Taveze Calhoun
  4. DL Chris Jones
  5. WR De’Runnya Wilson
  6. QB Dak Prescott

It is not a stretch to believe that all six of these players get drafted in one of the seven rounds. But what is the likelihood of one or more going in the first round?

Beniquez Brown is an athletic linebacker who surprised Bulldog fans by declaring to forgo his senior season and enter the draft. Although his name doesn’t show up on most of the experts’ mock drafts, I believe some team will like is athleticism enough to pick him late in day three.

Related Story: NFL Draft predictions after MSU pro day

Taveze Calhoun isn’t the most physically imposing player out there, but he plays big. State fans should remember Calhoun for several big hits in the defensive backfield. Unfortunately, nothing sticks out about Taveze to NFL scouts. He’s not known as a ball hawk type DB. He’s not the biggest or the fastest. I think all this leads to Taveze slipping and ultimately going undrafted. The good news is tons of undrafted players get free agent contracts so Taveze should get an opportunity to prove himself to a team.

Will Redmond came into 2016 as a huge draft prospect. ESPN’s Mel Kiper said Redmond could be the best senior DB in the country. A season-ending injury ruined Will’s chance to shine this season and has limited his ability to workout for teams this offseason. Despite the injury, I think Will is a solid mid round pick that could outperform that spot in no time.

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De’Runnya Wilson is as physically impressive as a player can be. At 6’5″ 224 pounds, scouts drool over the thought of Bear patrolling the outside. Unfortunately for Wilson he had one of the worst combine workouts of any wide receiver. Although his size is undoubtedly enough to get his name called, he won’t make the first round.

That leaves us with 2 players: Dak Prescott and Chris Jones. These are the two names with the best chance to have their name called during the first round.

Dak is the most beloved player in MSU history and most fans are anxious to see where he ends up. Prescott also has a few things working for him. Like the fact that the top 2 picks in the draft have been traded in recent weeks and will definitely take the top 2 ranked QBs off the board. This could drive the price up for QBs 3-6 and increase Dak’s positioning. It is not hard to imagine a team with an older, established quarterback moving up to take Dak as their future signal caller. But it’s probably more likely that happens in the 2nd or 3rd round.

That brings us to Chris Jones. Experts are all over the board with Chris so it’s hard to get a good read. Most of the major sites have Chris projected in the second round while some have him anywhere from 15-25 overall. At 6’6″ and 300 plus pounds, it is easy to see why an NFL scout would fall in love with Jones and move up into the first round to get him. At Mississippi State, we saw just how dominating Chris can be at times. Questions about his motor, whether or not he’ll show up every play, and an offseason arrest for driving with a suspended license could cause him to slide a bit but expect Jones to be off the board by the end of the second round.

No doubt the NFL draft will be interesting this year for Mississippi State football fans. Some of the most successful players in team history could find out where their next step will begin. The first round of the NFL draft starts Thursday April 28 at 7pm CST. The 2nd and 3rd rounds will be Friday April 29 and the final 4 rounds will be Saturday April 30. All three days will take place at the Auditorium Theater in Chicago, IL and be broadcast on ESPN and The NFL Network.

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